Fire retardant expansion joint seal system with elastically-compressible members and resilient members

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates generally to systems for providing a durable water-resistant and fire-resistant foam-based seal in the joint between adjacent panels. An expansion joint seal, which may be fire-resistant and/or water-resistant, is provided which includes one or more foam members and a plurality of fire retardant members, which may be intumescent members, interspersed within the foam member or members to provide a spring recovery force and fire resistance.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/714,390 filed Sep. 25, 2017 for “Expansion Joint Seal Systemwith Internal Intumescent Springs Providing Fire Retardancy,” for whichpriority is claimed and which is incorporated herein by reference, whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/217,085 filedJul. 22, 2016 for “Expansion Joint Seal System Providing FireRetardancy,” which is incorporated herein by reference and of which thebenefit is claimed.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

Field

The present disclosure relates generally to systems for creating adurable water-resistant and fire-resistant foam-based seal in the jointbetween adjacent panels. More particularly, the present disclosure isdirected to providing an expansion joint seal system which includes aplurality of fire retardant, such as intumescent, members to protect theadjacent substrates and joint.

Description of the Related Art

Construction panels come in many different sizes and shapes and may beused for various purposes, including roadways, sideways, tunnels andother pre-cast structures. Where the construction panels are concrete,it is necessary to form a lateral gap or joint between adjacent panelsto allow for independent movement, such in response to ambienttemperature variations within standard operating ranges. These gaps arealso used to permit moisture to be collected and expelled. Cavity wallsare common in masonry construction, typically to allow for water ormoisture to condense or accumulate in the cavity or space between thetwo exterior walls. Collecting and diverting moisture from the cavitywall construction can be accomplished by numerous well-known systems.The cavity wall is often ventilated, such as by brick vents, to allowair flow into the cavity wall and to allow the escape of moisture heator humidity. In addition to thermal movement or seismic joints inmasonry walls, control joints are often added to allow for the knowndimensional changes in masonry over time. Curtain wall or rain screendesign is another common form of exterior cladding similar to a masonrycavity wall. Curtain walls can be designed to be primarily watertightbut can also allow for the collection and diversion of water to theexterior of the structure. A cavity wall or curtain wall design cannotfunction as intended if the water or moisture is allowed to accumulateor condense in the cavity wall or behind a curtain wall or rain screendesign cannot be diverted or redirected back to the outside of the wall.If moisture is not effectively removed it can cause damage ranging fromaesthetic in the form of white efflorescence buildup on surface to moldand major structural damage from freeze/thaw cycling.

Thus, expansion and movement joints are a necessary part of all areas ofconstruction. The size and location of the movement depends on variablessuch as the amount of anticipated thermal expansion, load deflection andany expected seismic activity. Joint movement in a structure can becyclical in design as in an expansion joint or in as a control joint toallow for the shrinkage of building components or structural settling.These movement joints serve an important function by allowing a properlydesigned structure to move and the joint to cycle over time and to allowfor the expected dimensional changes without damaging the structure.Expansion, control and movement joints are found throughout a structurefrom the roof to the basement, and in transitions between horizontal andvertical planes. It is an important function of these expansion jointsto not only move as intended but to remain in place through their usefullifespan. This is often accomplished by extending the length and/orwidth of the expansion joint system over or past the edge of the gap orjoint opening to attach to the joint substrate or another buildingcomponent. Examples of building components that would ideal tointegrally join an expansion joint with and seal would be, although notlimited to, waterproofing membranes, air barrier systems, roofingsystems and transitions requiring the watertight diversion of rainwater. Although these joints represent only a small percentage of thebuilding surface area and initial cost, they often account for a largepercentage of waterproofing, heat loss, moisture/mold problems and otherserious interior and exterior damage during the life of the building.

Conventional joint sealants like gunnable sealants and most foam sealsare designed to hold the water out of the structure or expansion joint.However, water can penetrate the joint substrate in many ways such ascracks, poor sealant installation, roofing details and a poroussubstrate or wall component. When water or moisture enters the wall thenormal sealing function of joint sealant may undesirably retain themoisture in the wall. Foam joint seals known in the art typically relyon the application of an elastomer sealant on the primary or exposedface of foam to provide the water resistant function. Such joint sealsare not waterproof, but retard the penetration of water into the jointby providing a seal between adjacent substrates for a time and under amaximum pressure. Particularly, such joint seals are not waterproof—theydo not preclude water penetration under all circumstances. While this ishelpful initially to keep water out of the joint and structure it doesnot allow for this penetrating water or moisture to escape.

Further complicating operation, some wall designs, such as cavity walls,allow for moisture to enter a first wall layer where it collects and isthen directed to the outside of the building by flashing and weep holes.In these systems, water can sometimes be undesirably trapped in thecavity wall, such as at a mortar bridge in the wall, or other impedimentcaused by poor flashing selection, design or installation. When a cavitywall drainage system fails, water is retained within the structure,leading to moisture accumulating within in the wall, and to anefflorescence buildup on the exterior of the wall. This can also resultin freeze-thaw damage, among other known problems.

To be effective in this environment, fully functional, foam-based jointseals require a minimum compression ratio and impregnation density. Itis known that higher densities and ratios can provide addition sealingbenefits. Cost, however, also tends to increase with overall density.There is ultimately a trade-off between compression ratio/density rangeand reasonable movement capabilities at about 750 kg/m³. As can beappreciated, this compressed density is a product of the uncompresseddensity of the material and the desired compression ratio to obtainother benefits, such as water resistance. For example, a foam having anuncompressed density of 150 kg/m³ uncompressed and compressed at a 5:1ratio results in a compressed density of 750 kg/m³. Alternativeuncompressed densities and compression ratios may reach that compresseddensity of 750 kg/m³ while producing different mechanical properties. Ithas been long known in the art that a functional foam expansion jointsealant can be constructed using an uncompressed impregnated foamdensity range of about 80 kg/m³ at a 5:1 compression ratio, resulting ina compressed density of 400 kg/m³. This functional foam expansion jointsealant is capable of maintaining position within a joint and itsprofile while accommodating thermal and seismic cycling, while providingeffective scaling, resiliency and recovery. Such joint seals are notfireproof; but retard the penetration of fire into the joint byproviding a seal which protects the adjacent substrates or the base ofthe joint for a time and under a maximum temperature. Particularly, suchjoint seals are not fireproof—they do not preclude the burning anddecomposition of the foam when exposed to flame.

Another alternative known in the art for increasing performance is toprovide a water resistant impregnated foam at a density in the range of120-160 kg/m³, ideally at 150 kg/m³ for some products, with a mean jointsize compression ratio of about 3:1 with a compressed density in a rangeof about 400-450 kg/m³, although densities in a broader range, such as45-710 kg/m³ uncompressed and installed densities, after compression andinstallation in the joint, of 45 kg/m³ and 1500 kg/m³ may also be used.These criteria ensure excellent movement and cycling while providing forfire resistance according to DIN 4102-2 F120, meeting the Conditions ofAllowance under UL 2079 for a two-hour endurance, for conventionaldepth, without loading, with one or more movement classifications, for ajoint not greater than six inches and having a movement rating as greatas 100%, without a hose stream test, and an ASTM E-84 test result with aFlame Spread of 0 and a Smoke Index of 5. This density range is wellknown in the art, whether it is achieved by lower impregnation densityand higher foam compression or higher impregnation density and a lowercompression ratio, as the average functional density required for animpregnated open cell foam to provide sealing and other functionalproperties while allowing for adequate joint movement up to +/−50% orgreater. Foams having a higher uncompressed density may be used inconjunction with a lower compression ratio, but resiliency may besacrificed. As the compressed density increases, the foam tends toretard water more effectively and provides an improved seal against theadjacent substrates. Additives that increase the hydrophobic propertiesor inexpensive fillers such as calcium carbonate, silica or aluminahydroxide (ATH) provided in the foam can likewise be provided in agreater density and become more effective. Combustion modified foamssuch as a combustion modified flexible polyurethane foam, combustionmodified ether (CME) foam, combustion modified high resilience (CMHR)foam or combustion modified Viscoelastic foam (CMVE) can be utilized inthe preferred embodiments to add significant fire resistance to theimpregnated foam seal or expansion joint without adding additional fireretardant additives. Foam that is inherently fire resistant or ismodified when it manufactured to be combustion or fire-resistant reducesthe cost of adding and binding a fire retardant into the foam. Thismethod has been found to be advantageous in allowing fire resistance infoam seals configured in very high compression ratios such 5:1 andhigher.

By selecting the appropriate additional component, the type of foam, theuncompressed foam density and the compression ratio, the majority of thecell network will be sufficiently closed to impede the flow of waterinto or through the compressed foam seal thereby acting like a closedcell foam. Beneficially, an impregnated or infused open cell foam can besupplied to the end user in a pre-compressed state in rolls/reels orsticks that allows for an extended release time sufficient to install itinto the joint gap. To further the sealing operation, additionalcomponents may be included. For example, additives may be fully orpartially impregnated, infused or otherwise introduced into the foamsuch that at least some portion of the foam cells are effectivelyclosed, or a hydrophobic or water resistant coating is applied. However,the availability of additional components may be restricted by the typeof foam selected. Closed cell foams which are inherently impermeable forexample, are often restricted to a lower joint movement range such as+/−25% rather than the +/−50% of open celled foams. Additionally, theuse of closed cell foams restricts the method by which any additive orfillers can be added after manufacture. Functional features such as fireresistance to the Cellulosic time-temperature curve for two hours orgreater can be however be achieved in a closed cell foam seal withoutimpacting the movement properties. Intumescent graphite powder added toa polyethylene (PE), ethylene vinyl (EVA) acetate or other closed cellfoam during processing in a ratio of about 10% by weight has been foundto be a highly effective in providing flexible and durable water andfire resistant foam seal. While intumescent graphite is preferred, otherfire retardants added during the manufacture of the closed cell foam areanticipated and the ratio of known fire retardants, added to theformulation prior to creating the closed cell foam, is dependent on therequired fire resistance and type of fire retardant. Open celled foams,however, present difficulties in providing water-resistance andtypically require impregnation, infusion or other methods forintroducing functional additives into the foam. The thickness of a foamcore or sheet, its resiliency, and its porosity directly affect theextent of diffusion of the additive throughout the foam. The thicker thefoam core or sheet, the lower its resiliency, and the lower itsporosity, the greater the difficulty in introducing the additive.Moreover, even with each of these at optimum, the additive will likelynot be equally distributed throughout the foam, but will be at increaseddensity at the inner or outer portions depending on the impregnationtechnique.

A known solution in the art is the use of foam segments bonded togetherto provide a lamination. However, lamination increases cost due to theadditional time and labor required as a forming fixture is oftenrequired for construction of the lamination. The required time and laboris further increased if additional function coatings are required tocreate a composite material with the desired properties.

It is also known that the thin built-up laminations must be adhesivelybonded to avoid separation, and therefore failure, under thermal shock,rapid cycling or longitudinal shear. Because of the cost to effectivelybond the laminations, a cost/performance assessment sometimes produceslaminations loosely held together by the foam compression rather than byan adhesive. While this is known in the art to be somewhat effective inlow performance applications and OEM assembly uses, it also known thatit cannot meet the demands of high movement seismic, shear, deflectionjoints or where fail-safe performance is required. In light of theseissues, the preferred embodiment for a high movement impregnated foamexpansion joint has been found to instead be a monolithic foam designcomprised of a single impregnated foam core. However, lamination systemsare often still considered desirable when the lamination adds afunctional feature such as integrating a water resistant membrane, afire resistant layer or other beneficial function.

Construction of lamination systems are typically considered undesirableor inferior for a high movement or rapid cycling fire resistantexpansion joint sealant. The higher compression ratios and greatervolumes of fire retardant additives are likely to cause the foam tofatigue more rapidly and to lose much of its internal recovery force.This proves problematic over time due to the anticipated exposure tomovement and cycling as the impregnated foam will tend to lose itsrecovery force and rely more on the push-pull connection to the jointsubstrate. When foam laminations are vertically-oriented, thelaminations can de-bond or de-laminate and separate from one another,leading to only the outer most lamination remaining attached to thejoint substrate, resulting in the laminated foam joint sealant ceasingto provide either water, air or fire resistance.

A known alternative or functional supplement to the use of variousimpregnation densities and compression ratios is the application offunctional surface coatings such as water-resistant elastomers orfire-resistant intumescents, so that the impregnated foam merely servesas a “resilient backer”. Almost any physical property available in asealant or coating can be added to an already impregnated foam sealantlayering the functional sealant or coating material, Examples wouldinclude but not limited to, fire ratings, waterproofing, color, UVresistance, mold and mildew resistance, soundproofing, impactresistance, load carrying capacity, faster or slower expansion rates,insect resistance, conductivity, chemical resistance, pick-resistanceand others known to those skilled in the art. For example, a sealant orcoating having a rating or listing for Underwriters Laboratories 2079may be applied to an impregnated compressed foam to create a fireresistant foam sealant.

One approach to addressing the shortcomings has been the creation ofcomposite materials, where the foam core—whether solid or composed oflaminations of the same or differing compositions—is coated or surfaceimpregnated with a functional layer, so that the foam is merely aresilient backer for the sealant, intumescent or coating, such that thecomposition and density become less important. These coatings, and theassociated properties, may be adhered to the surface of each layer of acore or layered thereon to provide multiple functional properties. Ascan be appreciated, the composite material may have different coatingsapplied the different sides to provide desired property or propertiesconsistent with its position. Functional coatings such as awater-resistant, sealant can protect the foam core from absorbingmoisture even if the foam or foam impregnation is hydrophilic.Similarly, a functional coating such as a fire-rated sealant added tothe foam core or lamination with protect a foam or foam impregnationthat is flammable. A biocide may even be included. This could belayered, or on opposing surfaces, or—in the case of a laminate body—onperpendicular surfaces.

Additionally, it has become desirable, and in some situations required,for the joint sealant system to provide not only water resistance, butalso fire resistance. A high degree of fire resistance in foams andimpregnated foam sealants is well known in the art and has been abuilding code requirement for foam expansion joints in Europe for morethan a decade. Fire ratings such as UL 2079, DIN 4102-2, BS 476, EN1399,AS1503.4 have been used to assess performance of expansion joint seals,as have other fire resistance tests and building codes and as the basisfor further fire resistance assessments, the DIN 4102 standard, forexample, is incorporated into the DIN 18542 standard for “Sealing ofoutside wall joints with impregnated sealing tapes made of cellularplastics—Impregnated sealing tapes”. While each testing regime utilizesits own requirements for specimen preparation and tests (water test,hose stream tests, cycling tests), the 2008 version of UL 2079, the ISO834, BS 476; Part 20, DIN 4102, and AS 1530.4-2005 use the Cellulosictime/temperature curve, based on the burning rate of materials found ingeneral building materials and contents, which am be described by theequation T=20+345*LOG(8*t+1), where t is time in minutes and T istemperature in C. While differing somewhat, each of these testingregimes addresses cycling and water resistance, as these are inherent ina fire resistant expansion joint. The fire resistance of a foam sealantor expansion has been sometimes partially or fully met by infusing,impregnating or otherwise putting into the foam a liquid-based fireretardant, such as aluminum tri-hydrate or other fire retardantscommonly used to add fire resistance to foam. Unfortunately, thisincreases weight, alters the foam's compressibility, and may not providethe desired result without additional fire resistant coatings oradditives if a binder, such as acrylic or polyurethane, is selected totreat the foam for fire and water resistance. Doing so while maintainingmovement properties may affect the foam's compressibility at densitiesgreater than 750 kg/m³. Ultimately, these specialty impregnates andinfused compositions increase product cost.

It has further become desirable or functionally required to apply a fireresistant coating to the foam joint systems to increase fire and waterresistance, but often at the sacrifice of movement. Historically,fire-resistant foam sealant products that use an additional fireresistant surface coating to obtain the life safety fire properties havebeen limited to only +/−25% movement capability, especially whenrequired to meet longer time-temperature requirements such as UL2079's 2hour or longer testing. This +/−25% movement range is too limited formost movement joints and would not meet most seismic movement andexpansion joint requirements. One well-known method for utilizing theselow movement fire resistant joint sealants is to increase the width orsize of the joint opening, an undesirable and expensive alternative, toallow for a commonly required +/−50% joint movement rating.

Unfortunately, supplying a pre-coated foam seal from the factoryrequires long leads times due to the required curing time, which canoften hold up completion of projects in the final stages. Thisshortcoming is exacerbated if the composite material requires anadditional functional layer to provide the desired properties.Installing the foam seal and adding another sealant in the fieldeliminates the one-step advantage of pre-compressed foam seals. Therequired multi-step process is labor and skill intensive and becomeseven more challenging when the joint becomes greater than one inch,which pose difficulties for installation and to provide an aestheticallypleasing finished joint seal

It would be an improvement to the art to provide an expansion joint sealwhich provided resistance to fire and water, retained compressibilityover time, and did not require impregnating, infusing or compressionforcing a large amount of solid fillers into the foam structure.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure therefore meets the above needs and overcomes oneor more deficiencies in the prior art. The disclosure provides anexpansion joint seal, which may be fire-resistant and/orwater-resistant, comprising one or more body members, which may be foamor other material with some similar properties, and a plurality of fireretardant, such as intumescent members, such that each fire retardantmember is interspersed between two body member or within a single bodymember. The body members generally having a common body length. Each ofthe body members is at least five times wider than the narrowest of thefire retardant members, although all body members need not be of commonwidth and all fire retardant members need not be of consistent width.The fire retardant members are typically of common height and present awave-like cross-section, though height variations may be selected formechanical preferences provided the fire retardant members do not extendbeyond the body members. Similarly, the body members are of commonheight, which is may be equivalent to the height of the fire retardantmembers.

Additional aspects, advantages, and embodiments of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdescription of the various embodiments and related drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the described features, advantages, andobjects of the disclosure, as well as others which will become apparent,are attained and can be understood in detail; more particulardescription of the disclosure briefly summarized above may be had byreferring to the embodiments thereof that are illustrated in thedrawings, which drawings form a part of this specification. It is to benoted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typicalpreferred embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope as the disclosure may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an end view of an expansion joint seal according tothe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of an expansion joint seal according tothe present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates several potential wave-like profiles of the fireretardant member.

FIG. 4 illustrates an end view of an alternative expansion joint sealaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an end view of another alternative expansion jointseal according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment including a coatingaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment including an impregnateaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative embodiment including an internalbarrier according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment including a membraneaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment including a membraneaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates an alternative embodiment including an elastomericgland.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides a fully fire-rated expansion joint thatis designed primarily with the driving rain, but vapor permeable,waterproofing and cycling function of an expansion joint in mind. Thepresent disclosure provides for effective joint seal, which may sustaina 70+ mph (600 Pa) driving rain or greater. The present disclosure mayalso allow vapor pressure to escape/transfer moisture back to theexterior of the structure. The present disclosure provides a highlywater resistant system that can additionally allow for moisture tomigrate back out of the wall, typically through vapor pressure. Further,the present disclosure provides a system without impacting thewater-resistance or vapor permeability properties of the impregnatedfoam seal. The present disclosure provides fire retardant members, suchas intumescent members, in a vertical orientation that unexpectedly addtransfer load support to the exposed surface. The present disclosureprovides alternatives which are horizontally-oriented to enhance theinternal recovery force of the expansion joint seal and to retainpositive pressure on the joint substrate. The present disclosure furtherprovides the exposed foam top surface may be coated or partially coatedwith a flexible or semi-rigid elastomer to increase load carryingcapability which is further enhanced by the supporting fire retardantmembers.

As can be appreciated, sealants, coatings, functional membranes,adhesives and other functional materials may be applied to or includedwithin the components of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, an end view of an expansion joint seal according tothe present disclosure is provided. The expansion joint seal 100includes a plurality of body members 102 and a plurality of fireretardant members 106. Each of the plurality of body members 102 has abody length 202, a body width 104 and a body height 114. The body length202, a body width 104, and body height 114 may vary from one body member102 to another. The body member 102 may be a foam member or may be anon-foam material which exhibits similar properties of compressibility,expansion, resiliency, and to support liquid-based additives, such afire retardants and fillers. The body member 102 should preferably becomposed of an elastically compressible, though materials which are notelastic and/or not compressible may be used. The fire retardant member106 may be selected from any fire retardant material, including but notlimited intumescents, which may provide fire retardancy and have somespring force.

Any of various types of foam known in the art may be selected for bodymember 102, including compositions such as polyurethane and polystyrene,and may be open or closed cell. The uncompressed density of the bodymembers 102 may also be altered for performance, depending on localweather conditions. Because of the expansion joint seal 100 may becomposed of a plurality of body members 102, more than one compositionmay be selected for the various foam members, such that at least onebody member 102 has a mechanical property or composition different fromthe balance of the plurality of body members 102. One or more of thebody members 102, for example, may be selected of a composition which isfire retardant or water resistant.

Moreover, a body member 102 may be selected from partially closed cellor viscoelastic foams. Most prior art foams seals have been designed as“soft foam” pre-compressed foam seals utilizing low to medium densityfoam (about 16-30 kg/m³) and softer foam (ILD range of about 10-20). Ithas been surprisingly found through extensive testing of variations offoam densities and foam hardness, fillers and elastic impregnationcompounds that higher density “hard” foams with high ILD's can providean effective foam seal meeting the required waterproofing (600 Paminimum and ideally 1000 Pa or greater) and movement and cyclingrequirements such as ASTM E-1399 Standard Test Method for CyclicMovement and Measuring the Minimum and Maximum Joint Widths ofArchitectural Joint Systems as well as long term joint cycling testing.An advantage has been found in using higher density and higher hardness(higher ILD) foams particularly in horizontal applications. While atfirst this might seem obvious it is known in the art that higher densityfoams that are about 32-50 kg/m³ with an ILD rating of about 40 andgreater tend to have other undesirable properties such as a long termdecrease in fatigue resistance. Desirable properties such as elongation,ability to resist compression set, foam resiliency and fatigueresistance typically decline relative to an increase in density and ILD.These undesirable characteristics are often more pronounced when fillerssuch as calcium carbonate, melamine and others are utilized to increasethe foam density yet the cost advantage of the filled foam is beneficialand desirable. Similarly, when graft polyols are used in the manufactureof the base foam to increase the hardness or load carrying capabilities,other desirable characteristics of the base foam such as resiliency andresistance to compression set can be diminished. Through the testing ofnon-conventional impregnation binders and elastomers for pre-compressedfoam sealants such as silicones, urethanes, polyureas, epoxies, and thelike, it has been found mat materials that have reduced tack or adhesiveproperties after cure and which provide a high internal recovery forcecan be used to counteract the long term fatigue resistance of the highdensity, high ILD foams. Further, it has been found that by firstimpregnating and curing the foam with the injected or impregnatedsilicone, acrylic, urethane or other low tack polymers and, ideally,elastomers with about 100-200% elongation or greater providing asufficient internal recovery force, that it was additionallyadvantageous to re-impregnate the foam with another elastomer or binderto provide a timed expansion recovery at specific temperatures. Theimpregnation materials with higher long term recovery capabilitiesimparted to the high density, high ILD base foams, such as a silicone orurethane elastomers, can be used to impart color to the foam seal or bea clear or translucent color to retain the base foam color. If desirablea second impregnation, partial impregnation or coating can be applied toor into the foam seal to add additional functional characteristics suchas UV stability, mold and mildew resistance, color, fire-resistance orfire-ratings or other properties deemed desirable to functionality tothe foam.

Viscoelastic foams have not typically been commercially available orused for foam seals due to perceived shortcomings. Commonly usedformulations, ratios and methods do not provide a commercially viablefoam seal using viscoelastic foam when compared to standard polyurethanefoams. Open cell viscoelastic foams are more expensive than polyester orpolyether polyurethane foams commonly used in foam seals. Anyimpregnation process on a viscoelastic foam tends to proceed slower thanon a traditional foam due to the fine cell structure of viscoelasticfoam. This can be particularly frustrating as the impregnation materialsand the impregnation process are typically the most expensive componentof a foam seal. However, because of their higher initial densityviscoelastic foams can provide better load carrying or pressureresistant foam seal. Both properties are desirable but not fullyprovided for in the current art for use in applications such as loadcarrying horizontal joints or expansion joints for secondarycontainment. Common densities found in viscoelastic foams are 64-80kg/m³ or greater. Additionally, viscoelastic foams have four functionalproperties (density, ILD rating, temperature and time) compared toflexible polyurethane foams, which have two primary properties (densityand an ILD rating).

However, the speed of recovery of viscoelastic foams followingcompression may be increased by reducing or eliminating anyimpregnation, surface impregnation or low adhesive strength impregnationcompound. Incorporating fillers into the impregnation compound is knownto be effective in controlling the adhesive strength of the impregnationbinder and therefore the re-expansion rate of the impregnated foam. Bysurface impregnating or coating the outside surface of one or both sidesof viscoelastic foam to approximately 10% of the foam thickness, such asabout 3-8 mm deep for conventional joint seals, the release time can becontrolled and predicted based on ambient temperature. Alternatively,the foam can be infused, partially impregnated or impregnated with afunctional or non-functional filler without a using binder but ratheronly a solvent or water as the impregnation carrier where the carrierevaporates leaving only the filler in the foam.

The re-expansion rate of a seal using viscoelastic foam may becontrolled by using un-impregnated viscoelastic foam strips andre-adhering them with a pressure sensitive adhesive or hot meltadhesive. When the seal is compressed, the laminating adhesive serves asa temporary restriction to re-expansion allowing time to install thefoam seal. Viscoelastic foam may be advantageously used, rather thanstandard polyurethane foam, for joints requiring additional softness andflexibility due to higher foam seal compression in hot climates orexposure or increased stiffness in cold temperatures when a foam seal isat its minimum compressed density. Additionally, closed cell, partiallyclosed cell and other foams can be used as in combination with theviscoelastic foams to reduce the overall cost.

This second group of body materials, the non-foam members, may include,for example, corrugated cardboards, natural and man-made battingmaterials, and natural, synthetic and man-made sponge material. Whendesired, such materials may be selected for properties, such as waterleakage, air leakage, resilience in face of one or more cycling regimes,compressibility, relaxation rate, compression set, and elasticity.

A body member 102 may be altered to provide additional functionalcharacteristics, A body member 102 may be infused, impregnated,partially impregnated or coated with an impregnation material or binderthat is designed specifically to provide state of the art sealwater-resistance properties with a uniform and consistent distributionof the waterproofing binder. A body member 102 may also, oralternatively, be infused or impregnated or otherwise altered to retaina fire retardant, dependent on function. Where the body member 102 isfoam, any suitable open cell foam type with a density of 16-45 kg/m³ orhigher can provide an effective water-resistant foam-based seal byvarying the impregnation density or the final compression ratio. Where asound resistant seal is desired, the density or the variable densitiesprovide a sound resistant seal in a similarly-rated wall from an SoundTransmission Class Value from 42-63 and/or a sound reduction between 12and 50 decibels.

One or more of the body members 102 may be selected from an inherentlyhydrophilic material or have a hydrophilic component such as ahydrophilic polymer that is uniformly distributed throughout thematerial of the body member 102. The body members 102 may includestrategically-placed surface impregnation or partially impregnate with ahydroactive polymer. Because the primary function of the body member 102is waterproofing, rather than fire-resistance, the addition of ahydrophilic function does not negatively impact the fire-resistantproperties, as an increased moisture content in the body member 102 mayincrease fire resistive properties. Beneficially, because the fireretardant members 106 provide fire resistance, the present disclosureprovides for an expansion joint sealant without the need to impregnatethe body member 102 with a fire retardant

Referring to FIG. 2, a side view of an expansion joint seal according tothe present disclosure is provided. Each of the fire retardant members106 has a fire retardant member length 204, which may be equivalent tothe body length 202, or may be longer or shorter. Fire retardant members106 may have a fire retardant member length 204 shorter than the bodylength 202, and a plurality of separate fire retardant members 106 maybe sequentially positioned along the body member 102 to be nearlyequivalent to the body length 202. Separate, shorter fire retardantmembers 106 may be beneficial in avoiding any propagation of a failureof the resiliency of any one fire retardant member 106. Each of theplurality of fire retardant members 106 has an fire retardant memberwidth 108. Additionally, each of the plurality of fire retardant members106 has a lateral cross section 110, presents a wave-like profile 112,and has an fire retardant member height 116. The fire retardant member106 is therefore rigid, or at least semi-rigid, resilient, and derives aspring force from that rigidity and resiliency. The degree of rigidityand intumescing may be controlled by selecting the composition of thefire retardant members, such as an intumescent compound bound in apolymer matrix or a member formed entirely of an intumescent compound ormaterial. The fire retardant member length 204, the fire retardantmember width 108, the fire retardant member height 116, and thewave-like profile 112 may vary from one fire retardant member 106 toanother, resulting in different spring forces in the different fireretardant members 106. The narrowest of the body members 102 has a bodywidth 104 is at least five (5) times the fire retardant member width 108of the narrowest fire retardant member 106. Each fire retardant member106 is preferably interspersed between, and adhered to, the adjacent twobody members 102. so as to present an integral whole. The fire retardantmember height 116 of each fire retardant member 102 may be equal to,less than, or greater than the body height 114 of the adjacent bodymembers 102. Where an fire retardant member 102 has an fire retardantmember height 116 equal to or less than the body height 114 of theadjacent body members 102, the fire retardant member 102 does not extendbeyond the body members 102. But where the fire retardant member 102 hasan fire retardant member height 116A greater than the body height 114 ofthe adjacent body members 102, extending outside the body member 102 tocontact, or contact or join to, a substrate or external component, suchas a cover or substrate-to-substrate spanning cover plate. The bodymembers 102 may be a single piece where the fire retardant member height116 is less than, the body height 114. Preferably, each of the pluralityof fire retardant members 106 present an identical wave-like profile112, through variations may be selected to further the disclosure. Thefire retardant member 106 is selected from a composition and in awaveform to provide a spring force with a long life against fatigue.

The body member 102 is sized to provide a body width 104 of sufficientwidth to provide the water resistance function while be sufficientlynarrow to be shielded from fire when the adjacent fire retardant members106 react, thereby providing a continuous protective insulating charlayer as a barrier across the expansion joint seal 100.

The body members 102 may be selected to provide a lower density atinstallation, whether by a low uncompressed density or a lowercompression ratio, so as to provide a spring force less than that of thefire retardant members 106. The body members 102 therefore accommodatelateral compression caused by fluctuation of the distance between thesubstrates, the joint width, while the fire retardant members 106, byvirtue of the wave-like profile 112 provide the spring force in at leastthe plane parallel to the substrate feces, but potentially alsotransverse to the joint. Downward loads on the expansion joint seal 100are thus opposed by the fire retardant members 106, which compress inresponse to loading and which transfer the vertical load into thehorizontal plane, and therefore into the body members 102. The fireretardant members 106 therefore support downward loads by compressivesupport. The fire retardant members 106, by virtue of the common waveshape, retard any vertical deviation of the body members 102, as thecompression ratio is lowest when the fire retardant members 106, andtherefore the body members 102, are aligned. As provided above, the bodymembers 102 may be provided as a rectangular prism—resulting indiffering compression ratios along the body, or cut to match thewave-like profile 112 of the fire retardant members 106. Where a commonwave-like profile 112 is utilized, the fire retardant members 106 allowfor greater concentration of fire retardant members 106 withoutsubstantially impacting the compressibility ratio of the body members102.

The combination of the force damping body member 102 and thespring-force tire retardant member 106 performs the function ofproviding water resistance without degradation common in the art. Theexpansion joint seal 100 effectively seals while providing avapor-permeable barrier, allowing for vapor pressure to escape/transfermoisture back to the exterior of the structure. The expansion joint seal100 may sustain a 70+ mph (600 Pa) driving rain or greater.

Referring to FIG. 3, a plurality of potential forms for the wave-likeprofile 112 of the fire retardant member 106 are illustrated. Thewave-like profile 112 of the fire retardant member 106 may be selectedfrom waveforms known in the art, including a triangle wave 302, a sinewave 304, a square wave 306, a sawtooth 308, an irregular wave 310, orany combination of any waveforms known in the art. The wave-like profile112 may thus provide a zig-zag or wavy profile which may be generallyparallel to the face of the joint substrate.

The reaction of the fire retardant member 106 to heat may be selectedfor desired temperature to select the temperature at which the fireretardant members 106 cease providing structural support and beginreacting to provide fire protection. Temperature selection may bedesirable to address high pressure water incidents as opposed to fireevents. As a result of temperature selection and fire retardantproperties of the fire retardant members 106 and their interspersingbetween the body member 102 of the expansion joint seal 100, the bodymember 102 need not include a fire retardant. When these fire retardantmembers 106 expand upon exposure to fire, the joint is afforded someprotection against fire damage. When the fire retardant members 106 areintumescent, they expand upon exposure to the selected temperature,providing a wider cross section of intumescent expansion and protectivecrusting over the expansion joint seal 100. Beneficially, the wave-likeprofile does not result in the joint seal pulling out of the jointduring expansion in response to heat, due to the wave-like profile 112exerting force in multiple directions. As can be appreciated, thewave-like profile 112 may be selected to provide desired directionalexpansion.

Overlapping fire protection is thus provided without the necessity of acontinuous member or a coating that connects or touches to bothsubstrates. A continuous, straight cross member, for example, would betoo rigid and would no compress or extend, precluding operation of theexpansion joint seal 100. Even continuous elastomeric fire retardantsealants on the surface in a bellow configuration tend to limit thejoint movement capacity and are therefore less desirable.

Offsetting fire retardant members 106 so as to overlap the adjacent fireretardant member 106 upon reacting ensures a continuous protectivebarrier at the exposed portion of the expansion joint seal 100 whileensuring that movement of the expansion joint seal 100 is not restricteduntil such time. These fire retardant members 106, to the extent notreactive to fire, provide backpressure support for expansion joint seal100 during exposure to high pressure water.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the intume fire retardant scentmembers 106, due to the wave-like profile 112 further provide a springforce in the vertical plane, generally parallel to the faces of theadjacent substrates when installed. The expansion joint seal 100 maytherefore have the capability to provide the movement of at least +/−50%intended for seismic movement and able to meet rapid cyclingrequirements.

The wave-like profile 112 offsets forces within the body members 102 andpermits transfer of loads within the body members 102 in variousdirections in response to loading, particularly for above. This mayprove valuable in lower compression or lower impregnation densitiesrequired for higher movement fire rated joint designs. Conventionalsystems, or systems which might incorporate planar fire retardantmembers lack this force transfer and require an fire retardant materialto protrude or be encased in a wrapping not suitable for exposed,primary sealant or horizontal traffic expansion joints. The wave-likeprofile 112 permits an expansion joint seal 100 with low densitymaterial, which may be foam, which may even be vapor permeable, whichmay permit a seal with +/−100% movement m a non-invasively attachednon-metallic or refractory blanket design. When combined with a bodymember 102 having a desirable fire rating, the fire retardant member 106with a wave-like profile 112 may provide an even-more desirablefire-resistance without the increased depth otherwise required to meetfire-rating standards. This shallower depth to width ratio results ineasier installation and lower cost.

When desired, a common wave-like profile 112 may be used, allow torgreater concentration of fire retardant members 106 between the bodymember 102 without substantially impacting the compressibility ratio ofthe body member 102 and while retarding any vertical deviation of thebody member 102. Because the material of the body, which maybe foam,will seek a lowest state of compression, the common wave-like profile112 of the plurality of lire retardant members 106 causes the bodymember 102 to remain aligned. This may be furthered by selecting theappropriate shape for each of the body member 102 members—whetherrectangular prisms, resulting in localized areas of higher compression,or cut to match the wave-like profile 112 so as to avoid such localizedareas of higher compression. A selection of non-common wave-likeprofiles 112 may be desirable to further after the compression withineach body member 102. Alternatively, fire retardant members 106 withdiffering wave-like profiles 112 may be used, such as those nearly flatfor positioning adjacent the substrates for substrate protection or fora bonding surface.

The fire retardant members 106, and if desired body member 102, may beselected for depth as to the extent of protection needed. The fireretardant members 106 and the body member 102, for example, might have areducing thickness for the fire retardant members 106 and/or body member102 positioned in the center of the joint. Alternatively, the fireretardant members 106 may be vertically centered with respect to thebody member 102, but have an fire retardant member height 116 clearlyless than the body height 114, so that the fire retardant members 106,which providing the spring force in both planes, is not exposedinitially between the body member 102 sections. Additionally, an fireretardant member 106 may have a height 116 shorter than the body height114 to permit a bonding between adjacent body members 102 or may permitthe sectioning of a body member 102 with the fire retardant member 106imposed within it.

The fire retardant member 106 can be laminated with or otherwise bondedto a resilient member 120 or increase its resistance to moisture and toprovide increased durability. The fire retardant member 106 maytherefore have a low spring force while the resilient member 120 mayprovide a higher spring force, such that an external force exceeding thespring force of the intumescent member 106 will not result indestruction of the fire retardant member 106. The resilient member 120may be a polymer or a membrane, permeable or impermeable, and may permitmovement in one direction only. Use of a membrane as the resilientmember 120 may provide multiple benefits. A membrane may allow forthermal cycling of the expansion joint seal 100 and may preclude cyclinglongitudinally. Like the fire retardant member 106 which may be bondedto it, a resilient member 120 composed of a membrane may be longer thanthe fire retardant member 106 and may extend outside of the body member102. The resilient member 120 composed of a membrane may be coated withany additional functional coating such a bonding agent or material thatis the same or compatible with the adjoining materials such as but notlimited to cementitious repair materials, polymer and other nosing typesand substrate or deck coatings. Such a membrane may a solid, continuoussheet without perforations or holes, and therefore provided through thebody member 102, rather than by forming in situ, which would providepenetrations of the body member 102 therethrough.

The resilient member height 122 of the resilient member 120 can begreater than the fire retardant member height 122 of the fire retardantmember 106. The spring force of the resilient member 120 may be selectedto beneficially increase the durability and recovery force of the fireretardant member 106. The spring force of the resilient member 120increases the internal recovery force of the expansion joint seal 300without requiring an increase or reduction in the impregnation densityor compression ratio of the body members 102.

The fire retardant members 106 may be formed of a hydrophilicintumescent member that expands when wet, increasing the resistance ofthe expansion joint seal 100 to impact damage and hose stream typeforces. A hydrophilic fire retardant member 106 would thus expandagainst the joint, retaining its spring function and pushing indifferent directions, without expanding outward.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the fire retardant member 106 and itswave-life profile 112 may be formed within the body member 102. The bodymember 102 may be cut to the desired wave-life profile 112 and aflexible intumescent mastic or sealant applied to the body member 102 atthe desired thickness to provide the fire retardant members 106. Thefire retardant members 106 may be formed in situ from other fireresistant material having sufficient flexibility to allow forcompression after curing while providing a compensating return forcewhen exposed to compression. This in situ formation of the fireretardant members 106 may further provide beneficial cost savings byallowing alternating use of the rigid fire retardant member 106 and thehigher modulus intumescent mastic/sealant. Additionally, the in situformation may provide a well-fitted assembly between the body member 102and the fire retardant members 106. Preformed fire retardant members106, however, may be advantageous for better compressing the body member102, such as foam, to different ratios to increase the compressive forceresistance and reduce the tendency of the material of the body member102 to take a compression set over time. Regardless, the fire retardantmembers 106 offer the same fire resistant properties in conjunction withan impregnated open cell foam, and alternatively a closed cell foam,with a primary function to act as a water resistant seal.

The present disclosure thus avoids the body member 102 taking acompression set, such as during a hot summer, so that when thesubstrates separate in cold weather, the body member 102 has lostresiliency and fails instead of expanding to fill the increased jointsize. The wave-like profile 112 of the fire retardant member 106 retardssuch a condition. The body member 102, particularly when cut inrectangular profiles and imposed between each fire retardant member 106,has localized areas of differing compression. The portion of body member102 adjacent an impinging wave-like profile 112 is compressed, while theportion of body member 102 distant the impinging wave-like profile 112,and therefore adjacent the corresponding section in the adjacent fireretardant member 106 or a substrate is in a lower state of compression,essentially inducing expansion of the body member 102 intermediate thetwo positions. The body member 102 therefore accommodates lateralcompression caused by fluctuation of the distance between substratesjoint width. The recovery speed and force of the expansion joint seal100 can be modified by selecting a body member 102 with a higher orlower Indention Load Deflection (ILD), which is used to determine the“hardness” or resistance to compression of the foam. Additionally, thebody member 102 may be selected to provide a sufficiently porous body topermit vapor to escape from the joint.

Referring to FIG. 4, an end view of an alternative expansion joint sealaccording to the present disclosure is provided. A further fireretarding layer 402 may be applied across the top 404 of the expansionjoint seal 100. The fire retarding layer 402 may be an intumescent or afire-retarding elastomer, such as Dow Corning 790.

Additionally, a coating 406 may be used intermediate the body member 102and the fire retardant member 106. The coating 400 may have a moistureresistance to better retard moisture from reaching the fire retardantmember 106 from the body member 102, or may be adhesive to betterfacilitate a bond between the body member 102 and the fire retardantmember 106 or the fire retarding layer 402, and may be applied to one orboth of the body member 102 and the fire retardant member 106.

The expansion joint seal 100 may further include an insulating layer408, such as a silicate at the top 404 of the expansion joint seal 100,over the fire retarding layer 402, or in the body member 102, to add arefractory of insulating function. However, such a layer, unlessotherwise selected, would not be a fire-retardant liquid glassformulation.

Referring to FIG. 5, an end view of another alternative expansion jointseal according to the present disclosure is provided. An externalintumescent member 502, 504 may be provided in conjunction with, or aspart of the expansion joint seal 100. If provided with, but not as partof the expansion joint seal 100 as provided on site, the externalintumescent member 502, 504 would be provided for field installation.The external intumescent member 502, 504 abuts the face 510, 512 of thesubstrate 506, 508 intermediate a portion of the expansion joint seal100 and the substrate 506, 508. As a result, the external intumescentmember 502, 504 provides protective cover to the substrate 506, 508above the top of the expansion joint seal 100, while preferably notobstructing any field application of fireproofing, such as board orspray applied substrate protection. Preferably, the external intumescentmember 502, 504 provides sufficient protection to the substrates 506,508 such the expansion joint seal 100 may pass a modifiedRijkswaterstaat (RWS) test that protects against extreme initialtemperature exposure within the first 12 minutes or meet therequirements of a full RWS or Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 1709time-temperature exposure. The UL 1709 test, for example, is largely ahorizontal line at a temperature of 2000° F. regardless of time.

When installed in the field, the external intumescent member 502,504 ispositioned between the expansion joint seal 100 and the substrate 506,508 either before or after installation of the expansion joint seal 100between the substrates 506, 508, such that it covers the face 510, 512of the substrate 506, 508 which would otherwise be above the expansionjoint seal 100 and therefore exposed. Preferably, the externalintumescent member 502, 504 extends below the top 404 of the expansionjoint seal 100 at least ten percent (10%) of the body height 114.

To achieve reasonable protection of the face 510, 512 of the substrate506, 508 which would otherwise be above the expansion joint seal 100,the exposed face 510, 512 and associated comed 514, 516, the externalintumescent member 502, 504 should extend below the top 404 of theexpansion joint seal 100, by at least one quarter of an inch, butpreferably by a full inch. The external intumescent member 502, 504 maybe a board or liquid fire retardant, such as W. R. Grace's Monokoteline, or competitive products produced by Isolatek and Promat.

The external intumescent member 502, 504 may be affixed to the system atmanufacture or at the time of installation. The external intumescentmember 502, 504 may be affixed to the expansion joint seal 100 atmanufacture, with the expansion joint seal 100 supplied in apre-compressed state to facilitate installation. Whether at manufactureor at installation, the external intumescent member 502, 504 may beprovided by applying an intumescent modified epoxy or other adhesivethat is also fire resistant or of a type that will not impede itsfunction. Alternatively, the external intumescent member 502, 504 couldbe formed at installation by application of a liquid or mastic havingfire resistance and adhesive properties directly to the substrate 506,508 on the corners 514, 516 and the faces 510, 512. If desired, such anapplication could extend as far as the full length of contact betweenthe substrate 506, 508 and the expansion joint seal 100, and provide anadhesive function.

Because external intumescent member 502, 504 protects the face 510, 512and the corner 514, 516 of the substrate 506, 508, it is provided in an“L” or angular shape. After the expansion joint seal 100 and externalintumescent member 502, 504 are installed between the substrates 506,508, a fire protection layer 518 may be installed over the externalintumescent member 502, 504 and the substrates 506, 508. Preferably, thefire protection layer 518 extends to the face 510, 512 of the substrate506, 508, but may stop before the external intumescent member 502, 504,to allow for project specific limitations precluding the full coverageof the exposed face. Because the external intumescent member 502, 504 iseither field applied or part of the supplied foam expansion joint suchthat it provides exposed corner substrate protection, the need forexpensive stainless steel “J” metal angles to be mechanically anchoredand extend over the expansion joint for spray applied coatings at jointand other fire resistant coating terminations is eliminated.

Referring to FIG. 6, an alternative embodiment including a coaling maybe provided. Multiple coatings may be selected to provide further oralternative benefits to the body member 102. The top coating 602 appliedto the body member 102 may be an elastomer coating, or intumescentcoating, or an insulating coating. The top coating 602 may be a fullcoating of the entire top of all body members 102, or may be only apartial coating of some or all of the body members 102. The top coating602 may be flexible, or may be semi-rigid, and may be selected toincrease the load carrying capacity of the expansion joint seal 100.

The exposed top surface may be coated or partially coated with aflexible or semi-rigid elastomer to increase load carrying capabilitywhich is further enhanced by the supporting intumescent members. These,or other coatings, may be used to provide waterproofing, fireresistance, or additional functional benefits. The top coating 602 mayprovide a redundant sealant and may be on the side of a laminate of thebody member 102. The top coating 602 may be particularly beneficial inconnection with use of a body member 102 which is not impregnated oronly slightly impregnated, so that the top coating 602 may provide aprimary sealant, protecting the body member 102 from moisture orincreasing its resiliency. The top coating 602 may be a hydrophilicpolymer, a flexible elastomer or antimicrobial coating.

Referring to FIG. 7, the expansion joint seal 100 may include at leastone body member 102 impregnated with an impregnate 706, such as a fireretardant such as aluminum trihydroxide about ten percent of thedistance of the body width 104 from the body first side 704. Additionalfunction properties can be added by surface impregnating the exposed oroutside surfaces of the foam as well as the inside portion if additionalproperties are desirable.

Referring to FIG. 8, an alternative embodiment of the present disclosureis provided. Because of the relative softness and ease ofcompressibility of medium density viscoelastic foams, they may be usedin seals allowing for easy hand compression and installation at the jobsite. Such a seal would not require factory compression before delivery,reducing manufacturing coats and the expense of the packaging materialneeded to maintain compression. The body members 102 could be formed ofcommercially available vapor permeable foam products or by formingspecialty foams. Commercial available products which provide vaporpermeable and excellent fire resistant properties are well known, suchas Sealtite VP or Willseal 600. It is well known that a vapor permeablebut water resistant foam joint sealant may be produced leaving at leasta portion of the cell structure open while in compression such thatwater vapor can escape through the impregnated foam sealant. Water isthen ejected on the exterior of a body member 102 because the foam,and/or any impregnation, is hydrophobic and therefore repels water.Water can escape from the foam sealant or wall cavity through watervapor pressure by virtue of the difference in humidity creating unequalpressure between the two areas. Because the cell structure is stillpartially open the vapor pressure drive is sufficient to allow moistureto return to equalization or the exterior of the structure. By acombination of compression ratio and impregnation density of ahydrophobic component the water resistance capacity can be increased toprovide resistance to various levels of pressure or driving rain.

The present disclosure may further incorporate a membrane, such as vaporimpermeable layer, for further benefits. Referring to FIG. 8, themembrane 802 may be positioned between the body members 102 adjacent thefire retardant members 106 for a vertical benefit, between adjacent bodymembers 102, or may be horizontally imposed to section the body members102 into an upper body member 102 a and a separate lower body member 102b. When horizontally aligned, the membrane 802 provides a barrier toforeign matter penetrating through the body member 102 and to opposingsurface of the joint, thus ensuring some portion of the foam bodies 102are not susceptible to contaminants and therefore continues to function.As the body members 102 may be composed of a vapor permeable foam, sucha composition becomes particularly beneficial when a barrier or membrane802 is present, such as at the bottom surface 804 of the body members102 and is adhered to the bottom surface 804. As a result, the bodymembers 102 above—and, if included, below—a membrane 802 may retain andthen expel moisture, preventing moisture from penetrating in an adjacentsubstrate. As can be appreciated, to be effective, the membrane 802 ispreferably sized to be no smaller in any dimension than the adjacentbody member 102, when adjacent, or body members 102, when positionedbelow, but may be sized to less than the cumulative widths of the bodymembers 102 and fire retardant members 106, to provide for compressionwithout substantial bowing of the membrane 802. Alternatively, themembrane 802 may extend beyond the body members 102 to provide a surfacewhich may contact an adjacent substrate and even overlap its top. Themembrane 802 may be intumescent or may otherwise provide fire retardancyin the expansion joint seal 100. Consistent with uses known in the art,the present disclosure may be associated with a central non-conductivespine and cover plate assembly for those uses wherein high traffic isanticipated, as well as for compliance with Department of Transportationrequirements. The present invention may be adapted for use with otherexpansion joint systems, such those that incorporate a rib or splinewithin or connection to a body such as body members 102 and attached orassociated, permanently or detachable with a cover plate

Referring to FIG. 9, a first expansion joint seal 100 may be overlaidwith a membrane 900, over which may be positioned a second expansionjoint seal, positioning the membrane 900 within the effective seal.

Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the fire retardant members 106and/or the resilient members 120 may alternatively be positioned toprovide a spring force on a plane non-parallel to the face of thesubstrates, resulting in lateral forces being unequally distributed intothe body member 102, and discouraging or offsetting any compression set.Forces downwardly applied to the expansion joint seal 100 are not onlytransferred to the body member 102, which readily compresses, but alsothe interspersed fire retardant members 106, which compresses inresponse to the loading in light of its own spring force. Whencompressed, the fire retardant members 106 and/or resilient members 120transfer the load laterally into the body member 102. The fire retardantmembers 106 and/or the resilient members 120 therefore support downwardloads by compressive support. This positioning may be accomplished, forexample by providing a second expansion joint seal 100, such asillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. but aligned at a right angle, or byinterposing laterally-extending members 1002, which may be extensions ofthe fire retardant member 106 or the resilient member 120, at a rightangle between those longitudinally positioned between the body members102, or by simply positioning a short laterally-extending fire retardantmember 1004 in the external body member 102. As provided previously, thelaterally-extending member 1002 or short laterally-extending member 1004may extend outside the body member 102 to contact, or contact or jointo, a substrate or external component, such as a cover orsubstrate-to-substrate spanning cover plate. The laterally-extendingmember 1002 or short laterally-extending member 1004 may be fixedlyattached to the fire retardant member 106 or a resilient member 120 andmay be used in connection with each of the laterally-extending members1002 or short laterally-extending members 1004 and the fire retardantmember 106 or resilient member 120 to provide a winged design,protruding through one or more surfaces of the body member 102 andhaving a y-shape inside or outside the body member 102.

Fire retardant members 106 may have an fire retardant member length 204shorter than the body length 202, and a plurality of separate fireretardant members 106 may be sequentially positioned along the bodymember 102 to be nearly equivalent to the body length 202. Separate,shorter fire retardant members 106 may be beneficial in avoiding anypropagation of a failure of the resiliency of any one fire retardantmember 106.

Conversely, one or more of the fire retardant members 106, or one ormore resilient member 120, may extend beyond the end of the body member102. This may be accomplished by an fire retardant member 106 having anfire retardant member length 204 greater than the body-length 202, or byoffsetting the fire retardant member 106 or resilient member 120relative to the body member 102. A fire retardant member 106 orresilient member 120 extending beyond an end of a body member 102 maypierce into, or be received into, the body member 102 of an adjacentexpansion joint seal 100 to facilitate joinder among adjacent seals 100,providing a unified connection or system to reduce leaks between thebody member 102 and the joint substrate and or the substrate or deckcoating. Similarly, a fire retardant member 106 or resilient member 120which extends beyond the end of the body member 102 may be joined toanother an fire retardant member 106 or resilient member 120 to provideconnection.

Other variations of the fire retardant member 106 may provideadvantages. The fire retardant member 106 and/or resilient member 120may be coated, at the factory or in the field, with a primer or a deckcoating material to ensure a proper seal, connection and continuity withthe deck coating system.

The fire retardant member 106 or the resilient member 120 may extend orconnect over the body member 102 to provide a membrane or surface topre-coat or coat such the application of a deck or surface abating canbe applied in a monolithic fashion over joint system.

Similarly, the fire retardant member 106 or the resilient member 120 maybe connected, abutted or adhered at the body first side 704 to anotherbody or layer of elastomer to bridge the joint or other areas of thesubstrate. The top and or bottom of the fire retardant member 106 orresilient member 120, when extending beyond the body member 102, mayprovide further surface area for retention and adhesion.

Referring to FIG. 11, a cross section of a further embodimentincorporating an elastomeric gland, the expansion joint seal 100 mayfurther include an elastomeric gland 1102 to partially, such as on twoor three sides, or fully encase the body member 102 and the fireretardant members 106 contained therein. The elastomeric gland 1102 maysimply surround the exterior of the body member 102 or may include oneor more extensions or wings 1104, which may include one or more secondwings 1106. The elastomeric gland 1102 may therefore be tied into orconnected to any surface of an adjacent substrate, to any coatingthereon, or to any nearby component or may be integrated into thesubstrate.

Other variations may be employed. The expansion joint seal 100 may beconstructed to withstand a hydrostatic pressure equal to or greater than29.39 psi. Environmentally friendly foam, fillers, binders, elastomerand other components may be selected to meet environmental, green andenergy efficiency standards. The body member 102 may exhibit auxeticproperties to provide support or stability for the expansion joint seal100 as it thermally cycles or to provide additional transfer loadingcapacity. Auxetic properties may be provided by the body material, theinternal components such as the members/membrane or by an externalmechanical mechanism. The body member 102 may have a rigid or semi-rigidcentral core equal to 5-65% of the uncompressed combined core width. Thebody member 102 may have a central core rigid through normal jointcycling, typically +/−25%, but collapsible under seismic (+/−50%) jointcycling. Such as body member 102 having a central core both rigid andcollapsible may be part of a data feedback system where sensors collectdata and supplies information to be stored internally or externally. Inother embodiments, the expansion joint seal 100 configured to passhurricane force testing to TAS 202/203. Further the expansion joint seal100 may be designed or configured to pass ASTM E-282, E-331, E-330,E-547 or similar testing to meet the pressure cycling and waterresistance requirements up to 5000 Pa or more.

As can be appreciated, the foregoing disclosure may incorporate or beincorporated into other expansion joint systems, such as those with fireretardant members in a side of the body member 102 adjacent thesubstrate, the inclusion of a separate barrier between separate bodymembers 102 and which may extend beyond the body members 102 or remainencapsulated within, one or more longitudinal load transfer members atopor within a body member 102, without or without support members, a coverplate, a spline or ribs tied to the cover plate whether fixedly ordetachably, use of auxetic materials, or constructed to obtain a fireendurance rating or approval according to any of the tests known in theUnited States and Europe for use with expansion joint systems, includingfire endurance, movement classification(s), load bearing capacity, airpenetration and water penetration.

The foregoing disclosure and description is illustrative and explanatorythereof. Various changes in the details of the illustrated constructionmay be made within the scope of the appended claims without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. The present invention should only belimited by the following claims and their legal equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An expansion joint seal, comprising: a pluralityof elastically-compressible body members, a plurality of resilientmembers, at least one of the plurality of resilient members having anintumescent member attached thereto, the intumescent member having alateral cross section, the lateral cross section presenting a wave-likeprofile; each of the plurality of resilient members having a resilientmember spring force; each of the plurality of resilient membersinterspersed between two of the plurality of elastically-compressiblebody members; and where one of at least one of the plurality of theresilient members and an intumescent member extends beyond one of a topsurface, a bottom surface, or a side of at least one of the plurality ofelastically-compressible body members.
 2. The joint seat of claim 1,further comprising a vapor-impermeable membrane positioned intermediateone of the plurality of elastically-compressible body members and theintumescent member.
 3. The joint seal of claim 1, wherein each of theplurality of elastically-compressible body members has a bottom surfaceand further comprising a vapor impermeable membrane adhered to thebottom surface of at least one of the plurality ofelastically-compressible body members.
 4. An expansion joint seal,comprising; an elastically-compressible body member, theelastically-compressible body member having a foam height; a pluralityof resilient members, at least one of the plurality of resilient membershaving an intumescent member attached thereto, the intumescent memberhaving a lateral cross section, the lateral cross section presenting awave-like profile; each of the plurality of resilient members aresilient member spring force; each of the plurality of resilientmembers interspersed within the elastically-compressible body member;the elastically-compressible body member adhered to one of at least oneof the plurality of resilient members and the intumescent member; atleast one of one of the plurality of spring members and the intumescentmember extending beyond one of a top surface, a bottom surface, and aside of the elastically-compressible body member.
 5. An expansion jointseal, comprising: a first plurality of elastically-compressible bodymembers, a first plurality of resilient members, at least one of thefirst plurality of resilient members having an intumescent memberattached thereto, the intumescent member having a lateral cross section,the lateral cross section presenting a wave-like profile; each of thefirst plurality of resilient members having a first resilient memberspring force; each of the first plurality of resilient membersinterspersed between two of the first plurality ofelastically-compressible body members, a second plurality ofelastically-compressible body members, a second plurality of resilientmembers, at least one of the second plurality of resilient membershaving an intumescent member attached thereto, each of the secondplurality of resilient members having a lateral cross section, each ofthe lateral cross sections of the second plurality of resilient memberspresenting a wave-like profile; each of the second plurality ofresilient members having a second resilient member spring force; each ofthe second plurality of resilient members interspersed between two ofthe second plurality of elastically-compressible body members, avapor-impermeable membrane, the vapor-impermeable membrane adhered to abottom of the first plurality of elastically-compressible body membersand the vapor-impermeable membrane adhered to a top of the secondplurality of elastically-compressible body members; and wherein one ofthe first plurality of resilient members extends beyond one of a topsurface of one of the first plurality of elastically-compressible bodymembers, a bottom surface of one of the first plurality ofelastically-compressible body members, or a side of one of the firstplurality of elastically-compressible body members or wherein one of thesecond plurality of resilient members extends beyond one of a topsurface of one of the second plurality of elastically-compressible bodymembers, a bottom surface of one of the second plurality ofelastically-compressible body members, or a side of one of the secondplurality of elastically-compressible body members.
 6. An expansionjoint seal, comprising: an elastically-compressible body member, theelastically-compressible body member having a foam height; a pluralityof resilient members, at least one of the first plurality of resilientmembers having an intumescent member attached thereto, each of theplurality of resilient members having a lateral cross section, thelateral cross section presenting a wave-like profile; each of theplurality of resilient members having a resilient member spring force;each of the plurality of resilient members interspersed within theelastically-compressible body member; each of the plurality of resilientmembers adhered to the elastically-compressible body member; and anelastomeric gland at least partially encasing theelastically-compressible body member.